History of the Philadelphia Eagles

A Summarized History of the Philadelphia Eagles

The history of the Philadelphia Eagles actually starts with another team, the Frankfort Yellow Jackets. The Frankfort Athletic Association was founded in 1899; this was a community-based non-profit organization for local businesses and people. Throughout the early years of professional sports the Yellow Jackets became known as one of the best football teams that were not in the NFL (National Football League). In 1924 the Frankfort Yellow Jackets got inducted in the NFL after winning a city championship.

After years of success throughout the 1920's, the early 1930's brought on tough times with the great depression just starting. Half-way through the 1931 season the athletic association decided to call it quits because of money problems. The city of Philadelphia along with the NFL looked for another team to play in the city of Philadelphia.

In 1933 the NFL allowed the city of Philadelphia to gain another professional football team which they classified as an expansion team. Burt Bell and Lud Wray were the owners that were allowed permission to start a franchise in Philadelphia. Unfortunately since the NFL classified the Eagles as an expansion franchise the Eagles were not able to claim any of the records or championships that the Frankfort Yellow Jackets accumulated throughout the early 1900's.

The start of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise didn't start the way the city was expecting. The first game the Eagles played was a road game in New York versus the New York Giants where they got crushed 56-0. Throughout the next 10 years the Philadelphia Eagles only won a total of 3 games. The Philadelphia Eagles also got the privilege of being the first team to draft a college player. In 1939 the Eagles participated in the first televised football game against the Brooklyn Dodgers where they lost 23-14.

The start of the 1940's proved to be the beginning of one of the best decades in the Philadelphia Eagles' history. In 1940 the team moved stadiums for the first time to Shibe Park. Art Rooney also bought the team from Lud Wray who then soon after decided to swap franchises but not teams with Alexis Thompson who owned the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Once the United States entered World War 2, there was a severe shortage of professional football players, since most young men either enlisted or were drafted into the military to serve their country. Since professional sports didn't have the personnel to have two teams in the state of Pennsylvania the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles merged to become a team known to many as the "Steagles." This merger was only temporary and ended after the 1943 season.

In 1944 the Philadelphia Eagles selected Steve Van Buren with the 5th pick in the 1st round. Van Buren turned out to be one of the best draft picks in the history of the NFL and changed the fate of the Eagles by making them competitive for the first time in many years.

Throughout the 1940's and 1950's Eagles drafted many good players as well as winning 2 championships, one versus the Chicago Cardinals at home and the second in Los Angeles versus the Los Angeles Rams.

The start of the 1960's started out amazing by handing Vince Lombardi the only championship loss in his career. The rest of the 1960's did not turn out near was well as the people of Philadelphia were expecting. The team under the leadership and coaching of Joe Kuharich didn't coach the talent properly or make wise draft picks which ultimately setup a good 20 years of embarrassment and pain for the franchise.

In the 1975 season the Eagles hired head coach Dick Vermeil from a college program. Dick Vermeil became known as the best coach, or one of the best coaches in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles. Dick Vermeil made many wise moves throughout his